Helping people live with Keratoconus
Fight for Sight is working to raise awareness of the importance of eye donations after research has found that eyes are the organ that people would be the least likely to donate following their death.
The eye research charity has highlighted that there is currently a shortfall in corneas that can be used for transplant, with statistics released by NHS Blood and Transplant this month reporting that there are currently 279 corneas in eye banks, despite the target being to have around 350 at all times.
Our well attended, AGM was held on 23rd March 2019.
Three new committee members were appointed namely, Batcho Notay, Caroline Condillac and Jacqui Thomas. Moira O’Brien resigned for health reasons. The meeting paid tribute to Moira who has been a supporter of the KC group since its inception. Click here to see a full list of officials.
The Chairmans report is available here
The meeting was followed by a fascinating talk by Alison Hardcastle, Professor of Molecular Genetics at the Institute of Ophthalmology Faculty of Brain Sciences, who 
spoke about the Moorfields genetic study.
To read the research summary published by UCL INSTITUTE OF OPHTHALMOLOGY- click here
The videos taken at the 2018 KC Group Conference held in Birmingham in September are now online and ready to view.
They can all be viewed on the video page in postage stamp format, and you can click the icon on the bottom right of each video to make it full screen for easier viewing.
The videos are also available on our YouTube channel.
This is an interesting article published by the National Keratoconus Foundation in America:
The analysis that KC occurs in 1 in every 2,000 people was derived from a patient registry that was initiated in part by NKCF, over the span of fifty years from the 1930s to the 1980s. Some early supporters of NKCF likely participated in the voluntary survey. Read More…
We are pleased to announce that we have entered in to an agreement with Fight for Sight to support an award up to the value of £15,000 to fund research into the condition Keratoconus.
The Award will be funded as to 50% by Keratoconus Group and 50% by Fight for Sight.
We can now announce that the funding has been awarded to a team led by Dr Mouhamed Al-Aqaba at Nottingham University . The project is titled – “The involvement of corneal nerves in the pathogenesis and progression of keratoconus”. The research team has already identified that corneal nerves are dramatically altered in KC and will now be looking at whether these changes have a relation to the severity and progression of KC and identifying the types of nerves involved. This promises to increase the understanding of the condition, and may eventually lead to new interventions.
This is an exciting adventure made possible by the generous sponsorship of Barbican Insurance.
For full details are on the the Fight for Sight website – Here
“It was whilst studying music at the Sydney Conservatorium that Michelle’s eyesight started to fail. She underwent her first corneal graft. It failed, and for four and a half years she was legally blind. Following serious eye infections and rejection she underwent an emergency graft.Sight restored, Michelle threw herself back into her music. ‘Having my sight taken away and then having a second chance at music with my successful transplants has been a miracle and the great gift of my life. I want to make the most of every moment and share my music with the world, and support others with Keratoconus.’ “
Visualise is a charity that helps organisations find the answers that make their services more inclusive and accessible to people with a visual impairment and other disabilities. As leaders in their field, they bring extensive experience and knowledge of disability, both personally and professionally, to business and organisations.
To access the Resource Pack For Health & Social Care Professionals Supporting People With Sight Loss
– Click on this link
It means the technique could be used in the future to ensure an unlimited supply of corneas.
